No Crops from the rain. Now what ?

[Hildebrand]

So here in south east,Michigan the farmers have not been able to touch the fields. Not one field from my house to the woods I hunt has been touched this season. The only thing we have is a half a field of winter wheat from last year. This is my corn year an normally is my better year to see bigger bucks. With that said what should i focus on for food if they don't get things planted which I am thinking they wont. As I was turkey hunting last week I seen some doe just browsing around trying to eat. How long will that last ? With no corn or beans where will the deer look for food ? Sorry hunting in general is pretty new to me. I thought about about trying to get a small hand clover plot in but i dont have a lot of time right now and figured it would be whipped out by season with no food around

[DaveT1963]

Natural browse and mast. its what mature bucks normally eat during daylight hours anyways.

[Boogieman1]

In years of flooding in my area as well as years they plant cotton I find if u can line up on a fruit tree dropping early season. There is often large numbers of deer hammering it. This often drags a buck out a lil bit earlier in the eve as competition for the prime food source is on a first come first serve basis. This is short lived however, once acorns start raining down its a diff ballgame. The fruit trees in my area are few and far between (persimmons is all I have). If fruit trees are plentiful in your area the less effective it will be. Suggest a tree dropping close to prime bedding if u r looking for food sources to hunt right out the gate.

[Hawthorne]

They will feed in crp fields if you have one around and the weed fields that don’t get planted. The weeds that come up from an idle field can have bedding also. And mast like mentioned. I’ve hunted southern mi farmland for 25 years. I’ve seen them not plant before. I just did some work on my land and saw some vegetation being heavy browsed nip off in a flooded area. Also if the farmer will allow it , you could plant a food plot this summer on his idle ground.

[hambone]

I can feel your pain. There were 268 roads closed from flood waters in Missouri as of this AM. Most all of my good spots are several feet under water right now, due to levee breaks. The deer always seem to eventually move back in after the water recedes and things start to green back up. For deer in the bottoms, mast and browse will fill their gullets instead of ag crops, this year.

[Hildebrand]

One of my best bedding spots is under water I would guess. It was flooded last month when I did last scout and we have had a ton of rain since. I think I will get out this weekend and see what they are hammering down on and see whats up. Hunting new to me and I am 27 so I can not recall fields not being planted before. Only been in the woods 5 years. Thanks for the feed back

[DaveT1963]

One of my best bedding spots is under water I would guess. It was flooded last month when I did last scout and we have had a ton of rain since. I think I will get out this weekend and see what they are hammering down on and see whats up. Hunting new to me and I am 27 so I can not recall fields not being planted before. Only been in the woods 5 years. Thanks for the feed back

We have had a ton of flooding for several years along our lakes and rivers. Deer do not always go right back. Depends how long the water stands as it can destoy the cover/brush they prefer for bedding. They will eventually come back but it may be next season or the next IME. Then again, if it is a one time flash flood and the cover remains they will probably return to the same bedding areas.

[Uncle Lou]

So here in south east,Michigan the farmers have not been able to touch the fields. Not one field from my house to the woods I hunt has been touched this season. The only thing we have is a half a field of winter wheat from last year. This is my corn year an normally is my better year to see bigger bucks. With that said what should i focus on for food if they don't get things planted which I am thinking they wont. As I was turkey hunting last week I seen some doe just browsing around trying to eat. How long will that last ? With no corn or beans where will the deer look for food ? Sorry hunting in general is pretty new to me. I thought about about trying to get a small hand clover plot in but i dont have a lot of time right now and figured it would be whipped out by season with no food around

Good question. Not just how does weather affect our hunting, but how does all this rain effect a major food source, potentially not getting planted, and how that affects our hunting.

I think agriculture has lead to artificially high deer numbers in many areas. Deer are naturally browsers but have definitely flocked to the food source created by agriculture in some farming areas, and have increased in population as a result.

So when (or if) you take away a food source, I am more concerned with how they may carry over the winter. I think this time of year through fall hunting season there is plenty of natural food

[KLEMZ]

This weird wet spring will definitely affect the fall patterns in farmland country. As has been pointed out already, deer naturally feed on greens and browse, ag crops are just a bonus. Who knows how the deer will respond to this? In season scouting will likely be more important this year than ever.

[Hildebrand]

I know in my area the crops play a major role. Typically my spots great until the crops are gone and then it gets slow. This will be a first for me as i do not think they will plant. As for the browse, we have a lot of good browse as a select cut was done and the tree tops are around. I also wonder how it could affect the deer come winter

[Hildebrand]

One of my best bedding spots is under water I would guess. It was flooded last month when I did last scout and we have had a ton of rain since. I think I will get out this weekend and see what they are hammering down on and see whats up. Hunting new to me and I am 27 so I can not recall fields not being planted before. Only been in the woods 5 years. Thanks for the feed back

We have had a ton of flooding for several years along our lakes and rivers. Deer do not always go right back. Depends how long the water stands as it can destoy the cover/brush they prefer for bedding. They will eventually come back but it may be next season or the next IME. Then again, if it is a one time flash flood and the cover remains they will probably return to the same bedding areas.

Yea, this is a normal for me tho. That area is always wet early and normally dry by now. I guess i will have to wait and see. Maybe some of the secondary bedding will get used more since the prime area is flooded

[CattailCommander]

If they plant any cover crops once it dries enough, they may use those as a food source depending on the situation. Otherwise as others said, natural browse. That natural browse may be the stuff in the woods or the weeds/vegetation that grows in the unplanted fields. There's a lot more food out there for deer than you think.

[Hildebrand]

If they plant any cover crops once it dries enough, they may use those as a food source depending on the situation. Otherwise as others said, natural browse. That natural browse may be the stuff in the woods or the weeds/vegetation that grows in the unplanted fields. There's a lot more food out there for deer than you think.

I am learning that from all the reading I am doing. They did plant a cover crop so I will see how that works. They had about 100 trees removed this past winter and left all the tops. We have no corn anywhere close so I think a lot more deer will get taken. They wont have as much cover.

[Lu Rome]

This weird wet spring will definitely affect the fall patterns in farmland country. As has been pointed out already, deer naturally feed on greens and browse, ag crops are just a bonus. Who knows how the deer will respond to this? In season scouting will likely be more important this year than ever.

Basic premise behind most of what's taught on this page right here. All a matter of figuring out what the deer are doing and adjust your hunting accordingly, no matter if it's a flood, drought, hill country, swamps or farmland. Scout. Find the food. Scout. Find the beds. Hunt.

[dan]

Natural browse and mast. its what mature bucks normally eat during daylight hours anyways.

Yep